Woman&#39;s garment



1,689,125 J. FOERCH WOMAN S GARMENT Oct. 23, 1928;

Filed June 19, 1924 Patented Oct. 23, 192 8.

UNITED STATES JULIA FOERCH, 0F WILKES-BARBIE PENNSYLVANIA.

women's GARMENT.

Application filed June 19, 1924. Serial No. 721,037.

This invention relates to nether garments,

and more particularly to a garment for womens wear.

The primary object of the invention is to so construct the garment that the lines of strain or pull will be properly distributed vertically or substantially so, and in such a way as to put virtually the entire weight or strain upon the shoulders of the wearer, and to so construct it that the tendency will be for the shoulder straps to remain upon the shoulders, thus overcoming in this respect, a very objectionable feature of most garments of this general character, in that the shoulder straps of the usual garment is constantly falling from the shoulders with consequent annoyance and discomfort.

It is well known that tight garments, supported from the waist, are injurious, and my invention contemplates the provision of a garment, as before intimated, supported en-' tirely from the shoulders, both as to its own weight, and also adapted to take the strain of the garters and transmit it entirely to the shoulder area of the garment, the garment being so constructed that the pull or strain will be in substantially direct lines in a general vertical direction, through a series.

of suitable re-enforcements extending from the point of attachment of the garters to the shoulders or arm holes.

. A further object of the invention is to provide a garment, that will take the place of a corset, there being a gathered area for the comfortable accommodation of the bust.

In the drawings illustrating the invention- Fig. 1 is a view of a female figure with the garment thereon in perspective, and

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the reverse side of the garment.

The garment is provided with the usual front opening 1, having button holes 2 therein for engagement of buttons 3 carried at the opposite sides of the opening. The numeral 4 designates an area of gathers of sufficient fullness for the comfortable reception of the bust. The numeral 5 designates the shoulder straps of suitable width. They are each provided with an outer hem 5 and an inner hem 5 the outer hem extending entirely around the arm holes, whereas,

the hem 5 extends over the top of the arm holes at the inner edge of the straps, around the back, and around the front of the garment to the opening 1.

. upper part or bust Centrally of these straps and extending .from the strap to the bottom of the'garment is a re-enforcing strip 6 which may be an extra piece of fabric sewed on to the body of the garment, or it may bemade by overlapping the material a suflicient number of times and stitching it. At each side of the central strip and extending from a point on the strap just below the medial line thereof, are two additional reenforcing strips, a front strip 7, and a rear strip 8, which may in all respects be identical to the central side strips. To the lower ends of all of the re-enforcing strips are attached, by any convenient means, as by buttons or stitching, and in the present case, stitching, are the garters 9 provided at their lower ends with stocking attaching devices 10. These devices may be of any suitable construction.

Just below the bust portion of the garment, there is provided a hem 11 which extends only between the re-enforcing strips 7, and the buttons and button holes are provided from the hem to the bottom of the gar ment, as shown, it being intended that the portion of the garment will be closed by a suitable drawing string 12.

Preferably the fabric of the lower part of the garment is doubled back upon itself to form a re-enforcement 13, or this re-enforcement may be a separate strip or piece, if found desirable.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that an" extremely comfortable garment is produced, and one by reason of the manner of supporting the strain of the garment itself and the garters is conducive to the health of the wearer, and that, as before stated, the construction is such, as well shown in both the front and rear views, that the strains re sulting from the wearof the garment and at the back extending entirely to the bottom inner edge, all of the stri s extending entirely to the bottom of t e garment, and,

stocking attaching devices secured to the lower ends of said reinforcing strips, whereby the strain put upon the garment serves to prevent the shoulder straps from falling from the shoulders, and to support the garment from the shoulders.

2. A loosely fitting garment of the character described provided with shoulder straps extending entirelyover the shoulder, a reinforcing strip on each side of the garment whose upper ends are secured about midway of the arm openings of the garment, stocking attaching devices secured to the lower ends of said strips, back and front reinforcing strips, two at the front and two of the garment, the back reinforcing strips bein secured adjacent the inner edge of the shou der straps and adjacent the juncture of the straps and the top of'the garment, and the front reinforcing .stripsbeing secured to the body of the garment adjacent the inner edge of the shoulder straps and substantially in line with said inner edges of said straps, stocking attaching ,devices secured to the lower ends of saidstrips, the points of attachment of the upper ends of the side strips, and the points of attachment of the front and back strips being such as to tend to keep the shoulder straps from falling OK the shoulders as the result of downward pull upon the garment, and to support the garment from the shoulders.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JULI-A, FOERCH. 

